


Une Renaissance Royale

by bootmcjagr



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Also wanted to explore the world with a female perspective, Amamiya Ren and Kurusu Akira Are Siblings, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Female Kurusu Akira, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, Friendship, Genderbend, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Multi, New Game Plus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal, Redemption, Sexual Harassment, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Why is Akira a girl?, because why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23654464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bootmcjagr/pseuds/bootmcjagr
Summary: "Igor's eyes peek open, his smile a little less tense, "Wise words from my assistant here, I hope you keep them close to your heart, dear Trickster. Now," he lifts his hand, thin fingers unfurling and invitingly extending towards the thief, "Are you ready?"She gently pushes Lavenza aside and stands up. Though she is still uncertain of where her path may lead her, she knows she wants to protect the people who matter. Akira still has a future to pursue, one where Shido's arrested and kept locked away for the rest of his putrid lifetime. She has a home- a family awaiting her in the confines of a modest, warm cafe. And, a promise she needs to keep. Somewhere, deep in the corners of her soul, the satin laugh of Arsene resonates.Welcome back, young thief.The corner of her lips snakes up, sliding upwards into a deadly smirk, "As ready as I'm ever going to be. So, what do you need me to do?""-Or a retelling of Persona 5: The Royal, with a female Akira and few new additions to the story.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Kitagawa Yusuke, Akechi Goro & Niijima Makoto, Akechi Goro & Sakura Futaba, Akechi Goro & Yoshizawa Kasumi & Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Amamiya Ren & Kurusu Akira, Kurusu Akira & Original Cast, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Sakamoto Ryuji & Takamaki Ann & Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakamoto Ryuji/Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Une Renaissance Royale

Falling-

She was falling. 

Akira's recognition of time has become warped. Her descent feels like she is slowly plunging towards an empty cold death. She watches, with raw unspilled tears, deep crimson droplets spill from her missing arm. The smell of broiling meat and sulfurous hangs in the air. Its pungent odor makes her stomach lurch, begging to rid of the creeping vile snaking up her throat, but can't. An ensemble of bells makes her skull ring, but she's bound to listen to the sharp echoes of the endless peals as death slowly reaches out. A half of her mask clings to the right side of her face, gradually falling apart like the rest of her.

They'd thought they won the battle, that they're final act of rebellion was shot through the head of the god of control. Akira remembers the weak smile that simultaneously wriggled up everyone's lips. Plump silver tears falling down the cheeks of most of the girls. Futaba and Ann clutching each other as they jump for joy together. Ryuji, misty-eyed, throws his fist in the air with Morgana. Both of them bellowing out a hearty roar. Haru and Makoto forcing Yusuke to join hands as they bounced happily together. They won. They surpassed their fate of ruin and won. Akira couldn't help herself when she seized everyone into a group hug.

However, while they cried cheers of success, they were blissfully ignorant of the stannic angel rising from behind. Before they knew it, a holy blade pierced Satanael through the chest. Watching, in quiet horror, as the sinister persona tottered and crashed atop the podium they stood on. Its wings rived like it was in pain until the persona dissolved into the abyss. In desperate attempts to call it back, Akira raised her arm and reached for her mask. But before she could, the same blade swiftly came down on her arm. Skin and muscle tore apart, leaving behind a shredded, bloody stump. 

Everything was in a state of silence until a haggard scream ripped past her lungs. Her steel eyes blew wide, and her jaw went rigid, as she clutched for the missing limb and fell onto her trembling knees. Everything past that rushed by like a blur. Ann and Morgana raced to heal their leader, while the other thieves moved up and faced the god. They desperately threw spell after spell, but they lacked the energy to continue after their last battle. Finally, the haunting ring of a small bell rang, producing a flash of flames that combusts over every thief other than Akira.

She could only watch with anguish horror as blazing flames devour her friends. The fire smolders, licking flesh and leather as wretched wails cried in unison. Futaba's tiny voice begged for help as her ginger locks were shredded. Morgana yowls a screeching mew, while Haru collapses, scraping the floor frantically. Ann’s small, cindered fingers clenched Akira’s jacket, but when she attempted to grasp it, the limb crumpled into ashes. Tears clouded Akira's eyes as she struggled to reach out for the fallen thieves with one hand. 

She silently begged for this hellish nightmare to finish, hoping to wake up again to a bundle of texts. Her sleepy feline companion nuzzling close to her chest. However, she's only given the mangled screams of her dying friends. After a few horrendously, long minutes, every thief had fallen with a loud, charred _thump_. 

The last words she heard before her weeping body had been thrown back with a mighty gust of wind, was this-

“IF ONLY YOU FIENDISH REBELS ACCEPTED THE FATE THAT WAS WRITTEN, YOU MAY HAVE FALLEN MORE PEACEFULLY. ALL OF THIS WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A FOOLISH ENDEAVOR. I HAD GIVEN YOU A CHOICE, TRICKSTER. BUT YET, YOU REFUSED. WHY IS THAT?” the god boomed. 

Steadily, she pushed her body up with one bloody, gloved hand. Tears stroke her frazzled cheeks as her face contorts into a scowl,"I'd rather die than to fall into the hands of pathetic scum like you," she spat. Akira felt the god didn’t deserve a full answer, only her scorn. In her last attempts of resistance, she gripped her dagger, then hurled it at the angel’s colossal body. The _slap_ of metal against metal buzzes before the small blade fell into the void. 

“I SEE- TOO BAD THAT STUBBORNNESS LEAD TO YOUR DOWNFALL. YOU’VE BROUGHT THIS CALAMITY ONTO YOURSELF, FOOLISH THIEF.”

And with a strong flap of their wings, she was thrown off the podium. 

Akira knew that those words spoke a clarity of truth. But she didn't want to accept it. Because if she did, then it would entail that her friend's deaths were her fault. 

That terrified her. It scared her more than being drugged and struck by a policeman guarding her. It brought more panic than facing disgusting, contorted shadows that are perverted by their rotten ideals. She felt more uncertainty than when she defended that woman from being dragged away for Shido's dirty pleasantries. 

Accepting the truth means admitting to being a murder. 

She can already imagine Akechi cackling at the wicked irony. 'How pitiful,' he'd jeer. She'd agreed. As time begins to fasten, she reminisces all the people she met in Tokyo; how kind and compassionate everyone was, even when troubled by their misgivings. The ramen escapades Ryuji and Futaba would take her helped discover her enjoyment for a mustard and lime juice combo. The shopping sprees Ann and herself would go on, and how she'd 'spruce up' Akira's wardrobe. The intense, grueling training of learning shogi from Hifumi. The vibrate colors of Makoto's fake blaster as Shinya and herself cheered her on for a new high score. Gently caring for the floral on the school's roof with Haru, while Yusuke sketches the display on his usual spiral notepad. 

Learning the complex world of web design from Mishima and gambling against fate with Chihaya. Testing medicine to help save Tae's patients, while calling Kawakami or Ohya for a next appointment. She earned the fatherly affection from both Sojiro and Iwai, and gained a passion for politics from Yoshida. Even remembering the soothing warmth of sipping Leblanc coffee as she plays a round of chess with her favorite detective. 

Where did she go wrong? Where in her road of rebellion did she lead all of them towards the wrong path? Maybe she wasn't the fit choice for being a wildcard. She wasn't a leader. She wasn't good enough to be a leader. All she could do is beg for forgiveness for her foolishness. 

She's sorry she couldn't save her teammates when they needed her. Sorry for letting the world down. Sorry for not following through with her promise to Akechi. Sorry for giving up so soon. But Akira couldn't go on any longer. She’s too tired to cling to life. Is it possible to finally see her brother? Will she see Ren soon? 

Using the last of her strength, she spreads her dry, purple lips to create a solemn smile, imagining an abundance of dark curls and a toothy grin while she falls towards the hungry jaws of darkness and is swallowed. 

* * *

A faint silken voice of a woman singing reaches her ears. The striking tone sounds familiar as it softly lulls Akira awake. Her eyes flutter open, vision muddied due to deep sleep, then she squints, only recognizing a rich, brilliant shimmer of gold. She reaches for her eyes, hoping to wipe-clear this blurriness, however, a familiar weight tightly squeezes her wrists. The light chime of chains scraping against each other is the first thing she identifies. Her hands are bound to cuffs. When her sight finally begins to settle, she notices she's also wearing her black-and-white prison garbs again. Solid plush walls of deep blue surround her, and she was currently lying on a wooden bench. Then, her mind’s slapped by sudden awareness. She was alive and in the Velvet Room. 

Swiftly sitting up, she almost swings her legs against a small girl in blue who watches her with a worried furrow. It was Lavenza. She had her compendium clutched firmly against her chest, vibrant irises glazed over with tears, and biting her lips anxiously. 

"Lavenza?" she croaks, her voice strained from lack of use. However, before Akira could continue, the Velvet Room attendant abruptly drops the book she was carrying, then envelopes Akira into a brash embrace. The girl smothers Akira's face onto the shoulder of her dress while clutching desperately to the back of her head with tiny, gloved fingers.

"We had thought that you had fallen, my Trickster," she wails, the crown of her butterfly headband nuzzles Akira's hair. "We could only watch and yell in fear when Yaldabaoth rose again! We wanted to help- truly, we did- but our connection wasn't reaching you! I-I thought we had lost you..." she chokes, Akira feels the faint dampness of tears running down her exposed neck. She wanted to comfort the girl, to stroke her bizarrely light blond hair until she was at ease. 

However, her hands, for some reason, were still restrained. The last time she was here, she was free and bore her metaverse outfit. But that seems to have changed. So she alternatively decided to soothe her with soft words. 

"It's alright," she hums. "I'm alive-can't say I'm well, but I'm alive all the same. So there is no need to cry, Lavenza."

The girl then roughly pushes herself back. Hands now holding Akira's shoulders firmly and glaring with tears still dripping down her porcelain cheeks, "What?! Where in that dull, stubborn brain of yours do you perceive I should not cry at this very moment? I had thought you bled to death! If it weren't for my master, who ripped you're self-conscious out at the last second, you would've been dead!" 

Master? Thus far, when the girl was using the context of 'we,' Akira assumed she meant Caroline and Justine. That somehow the separate parts of herself were resonating strongly. But now that she is corrected, the idea of Lavenza's 'master' drawls a sickening dread that leeks deep within her gut. 

Ignoring the girl's chastising, Akira attempts to reach for a hand that's currently grasping her shoulders, "What do you mean by your master, Lavenza?" Akira asks with a stern stare and tone. 

Lavenza's eyebrow arches upward, seeming befuddled by Akira's ignorance before swiftly shifting to realization. Before the girl could speak again, the quaint voice of a man catches both of the girls' attention. 

"Lavenza, if you don't mind, could you bring the Trickster to me?" the man requested. His voice was far different from the booming, poise echo of Yaldabaoth that Akira bitterly remembers. The best thing she could match the pitch to is that of a stereotypical older man in cartoons. It has a sort of high-pitched coarseness that grinds against the owner's throat. Rough but gentle. Almost fatherly in a strange, bizarre way. But resonants enough authority for Akira to understand that _they_ have control. 

Composing herself, the small girl wipes away her tears and grabs the book that lays alone on the floor. Then clasps Akira’s hand and drags her towards the open cell door. It seems the cell stayed the same, but that brought more panic then her outfit or cuffs. Before she could walk out, Akira stamps her feet down, stopping the girl in blue from releasing Akira from her cage. 

"I-I don't want to leave- not yet. So, is it fine if I talk to him from here?" 

Lavenza only responds to the thief's question with silent concerns, eyes partially widened. Interrupting the attendant one last time before she argues, the man accepts the plea.

"That is fine, Trickster. If talking with me from a distance allows you to feel comfortable, then it is fine." 

That sentence alone clears some of Akira's suspicions of this master character. Yaldabaoth wouldn't care for merriments like Akira's feelings. However, the reason Akira didn't want to leave was less due to her wariness and more so cause of guilt. She shouldn't be gifted pleasantries like freedom. Not with the kind of failures she carries. Hesitant, Lavenza releases Akira and politely stands outside- lingering close to the cell. 

Akira sits down cross-legged and finally gets a clear glance at the new Velvet Room master. It was still the same gangly bizarre figure with bulged redden eyes. Retaining the comically stretched nose and overly stressed smile. But his stance lacks the supreme, overbearing attitude as it did before. Instead, he has the posture of someone uneasy.

His gloved hands are fixedly laced together on the counter and his narrow legs aren't resting across the other, now separated, while his head is dipped soberly low. With close observation, Akira notices his foot anxiously bobbing up-and-down. 

Akira couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the man. 

"As disappointing as it may be, we're short on time. So, I'll be quick with introductions. My name is Igor. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

" _He_ is the rightful master of this Velvet Room, the true aid to your journey," Lavenza nods.

Akira tilts her head. Now that her head is clearing, questions began to swarm and beg for answers, "If you're the true Igor, then where have you been all this time?" 

Igor then sighs regretfully, shaking his head, ashamed, "After defending the masses', the Grail sought that I'd weren't to come in contact with the Trickster. Believing I might exchange more info than needed, and changing the game. So, without my knowledge, he forced me to stay locked in the core of Mementos. Not to be freed until you reached the final level.

"And as you may know, the Grail also found my assistant to be a danger. So tore her into two separate identities. I regret my weakness and am sorry for not being able to reach you till now, dear Trickster," Igor apologizes. His hoarse voice dips in pitch, a silent remorse evident in his words. Her sense of sympathy twists into concern discomfort. She didn't blame Igor for falling victim to the god's ruses. After all, everyone got snared to the messy tangled web Yaldabaoth had weaved. But it bothered the girl that the Velvet Room owner is still wording the events like a game. Like her and her friends’ sacrifices were only a failed strategy for their round of chess. 

But she knows the room master didn't mean any harm. That his intentions, at the core, were pure. 

Carefully, she attempts to rest Igor's concerns with a gentle wave, "It's fine, thank you for clarifying a few things. But now that you’re here with us, what exactly do we do now? I failed. Yaldabaoth has won. It's not like we can magically turn back time with the snap of our fingers." 

Akira didn't like how both Velvet Room residents stared at each other with a knowing glint in their eyes. 

"That's not entirely accurate," Lavenza denies, now turning to Akira. 

"What do you mean?" the thief tenses. Afraid of what the two are suggesting. 

Igor responds next, "As of right now, your body is in a frozen state in which it allows us enough time to speak with one another. However, it won't last long."

‘A frozen state.’

If she didn’t feel like complete shit at the moment, she would’ve laughed. 

Noticing Akira’s confusion, Lavenza adds on, "Essentially, my master has stopped time on the moment before your body reaches death. But, his power can only last so long before the Grail takes notice and attempts to intervene," Lavenza explains, then flips through the compendium before stopping at a page. It’s the page that contains her confidants. Akira swallows the lump building in her throat. "If we can enrich this power, we can completely turn back the clocks of time, to the day this all began. But it requires a price, for you to release the bonds you've created-"

"I can't," she rejects.

"You don’t need to worry about losing your bonds forever. Once the clock has turned, you can gain their trust once more-"

"That’s not the problem. _I can't_ ," Akira repeats, head slumped. "If I did go back, who’s to say it wouldn't all end in failure again. Who's to say I wouldn't fall into a brand new scheme that Yaldabaoth cooked in some new distorted lair!" her voice begins to peek. The warmth of stray tears swells in the crevice of her silver eyes. "Besides, you saw what happened in that last battle. I was completely useless- I didn't realize Yaldabaoth had still been alive and got my teammates killed! Then was pathetically thrown aside like some helpless bug.

“You should find a new wildcard, cause I'm obviously not suitable," Akira declares like the statement wasn’t up for debate.

"We do not have the time-!" Lavenza exclaims, but Akira interjects her again, this time by slamming her knuckles against the cell bars closest to the attendant. From the corner of her eyes, the girl flinches from the attack. She can sense Arsene striving to speak and calm her. However, Akira blocks the persona's protests, the corruption of her grief bubbling and clouding her judgment. 

"So?!" Akira hisses. She feels a rushing heat of pain bloom across her fingers, but the thief couldn't care less. That's nothing compared to the fiery deaths her friends had to endure. "You think its any better to send an incompetent fool- who couldn't accomplish the task the first time- to do the whole thing all over again and observe how she fails once more!" Tears begin to shed, but she only feels a seething fury. She doesn’t understand why she’s so angry, they were only trying to lend her help like usual. But so many raw emotions are exploding inside that she can’t help but senselessly blurt out words. "It must be nice, only needing to sit back on your asses and watch, while the rest of the pawns fall apart. It must be thrilling!" she spats.

Akira spots a shimmer of hurt in Lavenza's eyes, her free hand covering her mouth as she gapes in shock. She looked similar to that of a lost animal who had been kicked away and forgotten. While Igor only calmly listens, eyes closed, and chin resting on his palms. Akira can feel cold regret throughout her body, but it wasn’t enough to dwindle her ire. 

"And of course, _we_ have to deal with the aftermath of this bet. All because you two wanted to feel like a big shot with some all-powerful god! Nice going, by the way, that looks like it's going smoothly,” she excessively extends the last word, while dramatically waving her lands in circles.

“But what do I know,” she shrugs. “Not enough apparently since I can’t understand why you have to beg others to do your dirty work! Why do I have to do this? Why can’t one of you two do it? Aren’t you both post to be great supernatural beings,” she clenches the bar she punched, exhaustion and guilt beginning to take its toll."But I guess it doesn't matter. So, if you need to take my powers, take them. If I need to die for you to find a new candidate, go right ahead!" she lets go and stares at the grime stain floors of her cell, sobbing hopelessly."B-but please, don't make me do this all over again..."

Silence floods the room- even void of the opera singer’s calm melody. The strain of the conversation laid bare for everyone. Only the noise of her anguish cries resounds in their ears. 

Somehow, the vile stench of sweltering meat creeps back, reminding her already shattered mind what she's lost. The odor curls her stomach, panic, and fear overdriving her senses. Akira doesn't even know what went wrong. Or how Yaldabaoth survived after being shot down from the skies. She only understands that it was her fault; That she is not good enough. Akira thinks one of the residents is calling to her, but it sounds hazy. Almost like she dunked her head in the water. She tries to concentrate on breathing, but it seems like air wouldn't come. The image of a car's tail lights and black curls appears. The echoes of a single flying bullet hurt her ears. Akira squeezes her head. Dark matted locks coil about her fingers. Why is she the only one still alive? Why is she here? Why does _she_ have to hold the burden of the 'Trickster?' 

There is nothing special about her. She’s only a broken girl that fate liked to toy with. She is not a leader. She isn’t anybody. If they’d force her to replay the year, she feels like she might go insane. S̶h̴e̴ ̸c̴a̸n̵’̵t̶ ̴d̵o̶ ̶t̶h̷i̷s̸ ̴a̴n̶y̶m̵o̵r̷e̶-_

_S̶H̶e̴ ̶C̴a̷N̴’̵T̸ ̶D̴O̵ ̶t̶H̸I̴s̴_

_̷s̴H̴E̶ ̵c̶A̷n̸’̷t̵ ̵d̴o̶ ̶T̵h̷I̸S̵_

_̸S̸H̸e̸ ̴C̶a̶n̸’̶T̶ ̷d̷o̶ ̴T̸H̵i̷S̴_

_̵s̸H̶e̴ ̶C̷A̷N̷’̶T̶ ̸D̶o̵ ̶t̵h̶I̶s̸_

S H E C A N ' T D O T H I S

  
  
  


_Calm yourself_.

A voice bellows. The sound of her persona's voice pierces through her stupor and seems to try and smother some of the stress concerning its wielder. It helped push away the hallucinations, but she can still feel herself trembling. 

Then, the soft clatter of a shoes' heels catches her attention and standing in front of her-with frustrated tears of her own- is Lavenza. She crouches down, so the two are eye to eye and raises a hand. Before she could process what the girl is going to do, her hand comes down and strikes Akira. A sharp sting flares on her right cheek. Astonished, she gazes at the girl in blue, stroking her throbbing face.

"If that is how you think, then you're right to call yourself foolish!" fuming, she aggressively shakes her head. "No, you're more than foolish. You're idiotic! Do you not realize? If you give up now, then there is no chance of saving who you've lost. Are you satisfied with that? Are you satisfied departing, knowing the fact that you had a chance of saving them? Satisfied with _them_ dying such a torturous and painful death, simply because of _your_ cowardice?" 

"N-no..." Akira tremors.

"Then stop running away! There is no one else we can call upon to do this. Even if you feel that is unfair- or frustrating. Its reality. And you must accept it. So do you want to save them?"

She does. Akira desperately wishes to save all of them. But the claws of doubt that cling to her mind makes her hesitate. Can she really gain the strength to protect?

"Do you?!" the girl shouts. She roughly leans forward, forcing Akira to stare at the intense determination sparkling in her bright, teary, gold eyes. 

Unsure, she closes her own and lets the last of her tears stream down. With a sniffle and a quick swipe with her arm, she wipes the evidence of her sorrows away, then nods, assured, "I do."

Igor's eyes peek open, his smile a little less tense, "Wise words from my assistant here, I hope you keep them close to your heart, dear Trickster. Now," he lifts his hand, thin fingers unfurling and invitingly extending towards the thief, "Are you ready?"

She gently pushes Lavenza aside and stands up. Though she is still uncertain of where her path may lead her, she knows she wants to protect the people who matter. Akira still has a future to pursue, one where Shido's arrested and kept locked away for the rest of his putrid lifetime. She has a home- a family awaiting her in the confines of a modest, warm cafe. And, a promise she needs to keep. Somewhere, deep in the corners of her soul, the satin laugh of Arsene resonates. 

_Welcome back, young thief._

The corner of her lips snakes up, sliding upwards into a deadly smirk, "As ready as I'm ever going to be. So, what do you need me to do?"

* * *

Akira blinks awake. The loud buzz of the announcement feed resounds loudly in the subway. 

" _Now stopping in, Shinjuku. Please stand clear of the opening doors. Now stopping in, Shinjuku."_

She can't help but gawk at the familiar mass of life, scrambling to rush out of the open exits, while boarded passengers shift to give space for anyone entering. Immediately, Akira scours for her phone in the bag on her lap, pulls it out, presses the home button, and then watches the screen brighten. As the machine stirs, she glares at letters stamped below the time. Printed in a small, simple font, Akira reads _April 9, 2016_. 

She lets her head fall back on the metal walls, releasing a sigh as she rests her arm against her forehead, the phone still in hand. She didn't doubt Igor's word, and she expected to find herself back in the same stifling, closed-in cart she rode before. But this heavy slam of déjà vu and awareness is jarring. Slipping her arm back to her side, she raises her head and eyes the window across from her, gazing at her reflection. 

She's back to wearing her gaudy Shujin uniform. All of the buttons of her blazer, except for the final three, are left unclasp. Revealing the white turtleneck beneath that squeezes her throat uncomfortably. A plaid skirt hugs her hips and glaring red stockings cover her legs underneath. Her hair is no longer falling below her collar bone and is now back to the short curled bob she had at the beginning of the year. Rectangular glasses poise neatly above her nose. They don't have a prescription, their only purpose being to keep a 'non-threatening' appearance. 

" _We're now leaving, Shinjuku. Please stand clear of the doors. We’re now leaving, Shinjuku."_

Seeing herself like this again is all too weird. Everything feels so familiar, but yet weirdly different. Akira distinctly remembers riding this subway. However, she can't shake off a bizarre sense that this is all new to her. Dwelling on it makes her develop a dull ache in her mind, so she rests her head back on the walls and closes her eyes. 

Wanting to place her focus on anything other than this feeling, she thinks back to the Velvet Room. After accepting the task, Lavenza explains that Akira will not have as much freedom as before to enter the Velvet Room, saying that they can't risk being found by the god. Plus, reversing time back to April is a straining task, so they can only focus their limited power in concealing the room. However, that didn't mean she couldn't come back to trade and fuse new personas. She'll only be limited to visiting at night; during her dreams. 

But, in case she needs a persona, but it's not nightfall, she can call for Lavenza to trade lower leveled personas for a stronger one. How she'll come in contact with the young girl, she doesn't know. 

They also warn that Yaldabaoth will eventually learn of their meddling. The god won't realize Akira's newly gained memories right away, since they're currently stuck in a deep slumber. But once she completes her first palace, alarming the public of the new band of Phantom Thieves, Yaldabaoth will come and attempt to stop her. Even with this information, Akira feels slightly relieved of the due date, since she'll have time to prepare for the possible dangers coming her way. 

But the biggest mystery of it all: how did Yaldabaoth survive? She gained the trust of as many bonds as she could, while also convincing the public of the wrong in allowing the god to take control. Yet, there is still something missing, but what is it? Or the better question, _who_ is it? 

After their explanation, Lavenza flipped back to the page containing her confidants. She watches as the girl picks one up between her fingers, flipping the face towards Akira. From there, she can see the design, having the depiction of a yellow-eyed jester and his black dog. The black, white, and red color scheme clashed brightly, making the yellows of both figures pop out and giving the whole picture an eerie quality. 

Then the young girl flings the card at Akira and watches it fly, stopping directly at the center of her chest. For a moment, it only floats in front of her, almost like it is watching her. Then, it glides around Akira. Encompassing the first, the rest of the cards follow and start to encircle Akira as well, a royal blue glow emanating around them. One at a time, the cards shatter into a scatter of blue light. Finally, the last of the tarot hovers above her, and like the others, bursts into an array of light. Next thing she knew, she was back on the subway. Akira is sure she'll never understand how the room's powers truly work. 

" _We're now leaving, Shibuya. Please stand clear of the doors. We're now leaving, Shibuya."_

What...? 

So deep in thought, Akira didn't hear she arrived at her stop, or recognized the last passenger entering the cart. With a sharp, dreadful _thump_ , the train's doors slide close, prepared to leave. Well, shit.

**Author's Note:**

> If any are confused as to why Igor is being introduced after the battle with Yaldabaoth, I felt that it flowed better with the story if Akira were to meet him now, rather then earlier. 
> 
> Song I Recommend While Reading: "This Dream" from NieR Gestalt & Replicant's OST and composed by Keiichi Okabe, Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, and Takafumi Nishimura.
> 
> -Hope you enjoy ^^


End file.
